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The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; American Poets, a biannual literary journal; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. Since its founding, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization.

Poem Present

Year

2006

Type

Online Resources

The Poem Present Reading and Lecture Series at the University of Chicago invites distinguished contemporary poets to read from their work and present talks. Launched in 2001 by Danielle Allen, the current Dean of the Division of the Humanities, the series has earned a reputation in the Chicago poetry community for its engaging events, all of which are free and open to the public; however, their reach and impact extends beyond their local community because of their quickly growing online archive.

Since 2003, the Chicago Media Initiatives Group (CMIG) has captured each season of Poem Present in both digital video and audio formats for archiving on CD-ROM in the university library. In addition, CMIG built a website that provides streaming video and audio of nearly all readings and lectures in the Poem Present series. By recording and making Poem Present events available to anyone with internet access, organizers of the series have ensured a never-ending audience for their events, thus creating a vibrant afterlife for the series.

Most of the lectures include question and answer portions, offering audiences the rare chance to witness how a poet engages with the audience. The discussion often turns briefly to the poet's own work, referencing the reading accompanying the lecture.

One drawback of the site is its organization, an issue the series Coordinator Julia Klein hopes will be addressed in the coming years. The program has expanded faster than the site itself, and the result is an accumulation of material that could seem daunting to comb through. "Currently, the assistant for Poem Present is working on editing a selection of reading 'highlights' so that in addition to complete readings, website visitors will also have access to single poems," said Klein. "Though it is already quite broad, the range of poets we bring in will continue to expand and we look forward to making connections between Poem Present and other types of arts programming on campus."